Fate of urine nitrogen on mineral and peat soils in New Zealand

Abstract

A field lysimeter experiment was conducted over 150 days to examine the fate of synthetic urinary nitrogen (N) applied to peat and mineral soils, with and without a water table. At the start of the winter season, synthetic urine labelled with 15N, was applied at 500 kg N ha−1. Plant uptake, leaching losses and nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes were monitored. Total plant uptake ranged from 11% to 35% of the urine-N applied depending on soil type and treatment. Plant uptake of applied N was greater in the presence of a water table in the mineral soil. Nitrate-N (NO3 --N) was only detected in leachates from the mineral soil, at concentrations up to 146 μg NO3 --N mL−1. Presence of a water table in the mineral soil reduced leaching losses (as inorganic-N) from 47% to 6%, incrased plant uptake and doubled apparent denitrification losses. In the peat soils leaching losses of applied urine-N as inorganic-N were low (<5%). Losses of N as N2O were greater in the mineral soil than in the peat soils, with losses of 3% and <1% of N applied respectively after 100 days. Apparent denitrification losses far exceeded N2O losses and it is postulated that the difference could be due to dinitrogen (N2) loss and soil entrapment of N2.